Improving Timing

Hi Steve! Could you share some exercises, tips or ideas on timing?
I?m working hard with my click, but i found myself dragging time in some grooves/tempos...
Suggestions are welcome!

Hey Julian,
thanks for writing. I actually answered this question but for some reason the entire thread disappeared. I'm new at running my own board.

Be sure to make mental notes of what you're playing when you're dragging. Casey Scheurell once told me that he noticed himself rushing only when his HH foot stomped 8th notes in the groove. If you drag during certain parts, make note of exactly what your playing and loop that. Play it at various tempos to the click.

Another great tool is to set up a click that goes silent for 2-4 bars but doesn't stop. Dig? When it comes back in, see how much time your time moved, make mental notes so you can adjust. The more you do it, the more solid your tempo will be.

Good luck!
:-)

Thaks, Steve! In a couple of weeks i?ll tell you how it worked! [img]wink.gif[/img]

Right now i?m practicing 4 hours a day, and i try to play 12 to 15 hours on weekends...
How would you use that practice time? I?m spending most of the time playing along with records, working on Syncopation and playing time (recording myself) and listening back...
Any other suggestions? I don?t have a regular plan that i follow every day, and i?m not sure if i should have one... (in order to track progress, maybe?)

Thanks...

Playing with records is great. If I were you I would also concentrate on concepts that interest you that you can't play. When I do get a chance to practice, I try to work things that challenge me.
Be sure not to over practice. Playing music is best. Find some musicians that dig the music you want to play, and start communicating.
Keep me posted and good luck!

Hey Steve,

I have a couple of ideas,comments and questions about groove and timing. The ideas you have written in the previous posts are great. I've been practicing with a drum machine to improve my timimg. I've programmed the drum machine to play a cowbell sound on beat 1, and leave the other 3 beats silent. I set the tempo to 30bpm and play a basic rock beat with quarter notes on the hats for about 10 mins or so. then i start playing half speed for 10 mins or so, and then again half the speed of that. i also double up the tempo, just to try and play at different tempos with the same drum program. it becomes a cool exercise in counting subdivisions in your head and eventually you start to feel the groove at really slow tempo and don't need to count. the question is, sometimes i seem to lose concentration and go out of time with the click. have you ever had anything like this happen to you whilst practicing with a click, and if so what are you mechanisimc on being able to concentrate for long periods of time? ie on a gig.

Thanks
Cvitan

Thanks for stopping in!

All those ideas are great practice tools for your time consistancy.

As far as losing concentration, the first rule of thumb is DON'T concentrate. HA! I'm serious though. Don't think. Play. The second your brain get's in the way it can be a disaster. Of course if it's a complicated groove, during practice you need to concentrate. But that's why we practice. On the gig, don't think about the groove. Play it. It's like the juggler who suddenly thought about what he was doing, and dropped all the balls. DIG?? I can hear when cats are thinking when they're playing. The groove should flow through you. I try to make it as if I'm dancing. It's a sort of ZEN place. It's a flow. Concentrating or over thinking can break the flow.

Let me know if this helps! Also, play WITH the click. Not TO the click.